Major Topics Assessed on the Biology Honors Final Exam
This review sheet provides you with the concepts, vocabulary and techniques covered since September. Please use this as a
reference to make your study guide.
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Scientific Inquiry (Chapter 1)
- Themes in the study of biology and common features of all living things
- Development of hypotheses
- Design of experiments (controlled experiments) and evaluation of experimental design
- Interpretation of graphs and figures
- Drawing conclusions based on evidence
Basic Chemistry (Chapter 2)
Diagrams to Study:
- Interpretation and use of periodic table
- Element vs. compound
1. Compound Light Microscope
- Atom vs. ion vs. isotope vs. isomer
2. Mitosis
- Electron arrangement determines chemical properties
3. Meiosis
- Bonding: ionic, covalent, and hydrogen
4. DNA
- Polar and non-polar molecules
5. Transcription/Translation
- Molecular formula and structural formula
6. Interpreting Gels
- Chemistry of water and it’s life supporting properties
7. Food Webs
- pH: acids, bases, and pH scale
8. Karyotype
- Chemical Reactions (Chapter 5)
9. Pedigree
o writing, balancing, and interpreting chemical equations
10. Chromosome structure
o endergonic and exergonic reactions
11. Lac operon
Biochemistry (Chapter 3)
12. Light Reactions/Calvin cycle
- Carbon, functional groups, and organic compounds
13. Glycolysis/Kreb’s/ETC
- Polymerization and dehydration
14. Virus
- Hydrolysis
15. Eukaryotic cell
- Structure, types, and function of carbohydrates
16. Prokaryotic cell
- Structure, types, and function of proteins ***
- Structure, types, and function of lipids
- Structure, types, and function of nucleic acids
- Be capable of drawing structural formulas and interpreting them
Film: Lorenzo’s Oil
- What disease did Lorenzo have? How did he inherit it? (Be specific)
- What is the relationship between the mutation Lorenzo inherited and the disease?
Microscope (Chapter 4)
- parts and proper use
- light vs. SEM vs. TEM
- FOV and measuring with a microscope
- converting between millimeters and micrometers
Cells
- Cell Theory (Chapter 4)
- Prokaryote vs. Eukaryote (Chapter 4)
- Archaebacteria vs. Eubacteria (Chapter 16)
- Viruses- structure and infection cycle; DNA vs. RNA viruses (Chapter 10)
Eukaryotic Cell Structure & Function : (Chapter 4)
- identification of cell parts
- explanation of the function of each part
- explain how a part’s structure fits its function
- describe a process that several cell parts work together to accomplish
Cell Membrane and Cell Transport (Chapter 5)
- Membrane structure and function
- Active and Passive Transport
Energy and the Cell (Chapter 5)
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- Laws that govern energy transformation
- ATP-ADP cycle
- How enzymes function
Cycling of Matter and Flow of Energy in the Biosphere (Chapter 6, 7, and 37)
- Oxygen and Carbon cycles
- Role of photosynthesis and cell respiration in the cycles and moderation of global warming
- Photosynthesis - equation, reactants, products, requirements, light reactions, and Calvin cycle
- Cell Respiration- equation, reactants, products, requirements, glycolysis, Krebs (citric acid) cycle, and
Electron Transport Chain (oxidative phosphorylation)
- Food chains, food webs, 10% rule, and ecological pyramids
Cell Reproduction (Chapter 8)
- Prokaryotes rely on binary fission
- Cell cycle
- Eukaryotes rely on mitosis & cytokinesis
- Cancer (Chapter 8 & 11)
- Meiosis: stages, goal of Meiosis I, goal of Meiosis II, and events such as tetrad formation and crossing over
- Chromosomal mutations, karyotypes, and genetic disorders
DNA (Chapter 10 & 11)
- Structure and function
- Replication
- Gene Expression
o DNA RNA Protein (Central Dogma)
o Protein synthesis
o Gene mutations
o Regulating Gene Expression in Prokaryotes (operons)
o Regulating Gene Expression in Eukaryotes (master control genes, switches, etc)
Genetics (Chapter 9)
- Mendel’s Laws of Heredity
- one factor crosses
- two factor crosses
- Genetic recombination (draw the connection between events of meiosis that explain Mendel’s
observations)
- Interpreting a pedigree
- Complex Patterns of Inheritance:
o Incomplete dominance
o Codominance
o Sex-Linked Inheritance
o Multiple Alleles
o Polygenic Traits
- Other factors that affect expression of traits (environment and epigenetics)
Evolution (Chapter 13, 14, & 15)
- Darwin, descent with modification, and natural selection
- Evidence for evolution
- Explain how genetic variation makes evolution possible
- Use of Hardy-Weinberg equation to assess if a population is evolving
- Mechanisms of microevolution- natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow
- Macroevolution and speciation (adaptive radiation)
- Divergent vs. convergent evolution
- Gradualism vs. punctuated equilibrium
- Phylogeny
Biotechnology (Chapter 12)
- Gene Cloning
- GMO’s
- DNA Profiling/ Gel electrophoresis
- Genomics